138 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



to the ' two branched bristles ' of the head. You will find that they are 

 inserted in the third (last) joint of the antennae, and correspond to the 

 ' plumose arista ' of the common house-fly, for example. They are found 

 in all our species of Drosophilidae." 



G. J. Bowles. 



drosophila ampelophila, loew. 

 Dear Sir, — • 



In the autumn of 1879 I bred and recognized numerous specimens of 

 Drosophila ampelophila, Lw., at New Haven, from decaying pears, labelled 

 specimens bearing date of Oct. 30. Since then I have observed them in 

 August, September and October in the greatest abundance in Massachu- 

 setts and Connecticut. Perfectly sound fruit I have never known to be 

 attacked by them, but the slightest indication of fermentation attracts 

 them in great numbers, and about heaps of cider refuse I have seen them 

 in clouds. Species of the family may be easily mistaken for one another, 

 but by aid of Mr. Bowles' accurate figure of the wing, and by the 

 presence in the male, on the tips of the anterior metatarsi above, of a 

 minute but conspicuous black tubercle, the present Fermenting Fruit Fly 

 may be with certainty distinguished. Loew apparently had some know- 

 ledge of its habits in giving it the name ampelos. As regards its distri- 

 bution he says (Cent. II., 99) : " Drosophila ampelophila in Europae 

 regionibus meridianis frequentissima nee Europae mediae plane aliena 

 etiam in meridianis Africae partibus habitat." The question is an inter- 

 esting one : In which continent is it a native ? The European D. coiifusa, 

 as well as cellaris and aceti, appears to have very similar habits ; doubtless 

 other of our American species will be found to infest fruit. 



S. W. WiLLISTON. 



New Haven, 28th July, 1882. 



larv^ of papilio thoas. 

 Dear Sir, — 



For several years past I have seen a few specimens of Papilio thoas in 

 this locality, in the month of August, but in poor condition ; this year they 

 appeared as early as the middle of June. I have just found for the first 

 time the larvae in my garden feeding on Dictamnus fraxinella. There are 

 two broods — one quite small, and the other three quarters grown. 



G. H. Van Wagenen. 

 Rye, Westchester Co., N. Y., July 17th, 1882. 



